Modern Paganism
Modern Paganism, also known as Contemporary Paganism and Neopaganism, is a group of new religious movements influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe. (Note other polytheisms such as from the east are generally not referred to as paganism). Although they do share similarities, contemporary Pagan religious movements are diverse and no single set of beliefs, practices, or texts are shared by them all. Most academics studying the phenomenon have treated it as a movement of different religions, whereas a minority instead characterize it as a single religion into which different Pagan faiths fit as denominations. Not all members of faiths or beliefs regarded as Neopagan self-identify as "Pagan". One of the common symbols associated with many forms is the pentagram or pentacle, usually inscribed in a circle. Though different forms have their own symbols. General Info Adherents rely on pre-Christian, folkloric and ethnographic sources to a variety of degrees; many follow a spirituality which they accept as being entirely modern, while others attempt to reconstruct or revive indigenous, ethnic religions as found in historical and folkloric sources as accurately as possible. Academic research has placed the Pagan movement along a spectrum, with Eclecticism on one end and Polytheistic Reconstructionism on the other. Polytheism, animism, and pantheism are common features in Pagan theology. Rituals take place in both public and in private domestic settings. Some practitioners eschew the term "Pagan" altogether, choosing not to define themselves as such, but rather under the more specific name of their religion, like Heathen. This is because the term "Pagan" has its origins in Christian terminology, which the Pagans wish to avoid. Some favor the term "ethnic religion" over "Paganism." Note of course that the commonality of pantheism for a lot of modern versions is something that may fly in the face of certain classical paganisms, which many of were strictly polytheistic. One reason for this modern pantheistic slant is that many of these modern groups do not take the gods as literal, or say that while you may or may not do so, their literalness may not be the point of the religion. (some other modern pagan groups are however mostly literalist). And since many of them may not consider the gods absolutely worthy beings that all spirituality is based on, the pantheistic slant is used to provide context for the spirituality. This obviously often has a heavy jungian element involved. Nonetheless many neopagans consider the gods tangible entities. In terms of megaten, this obviously is an important concept to make sense of its religions. Note that this also even to a lesser degree includes the Messian religion, since in the end it does contain many polytheistic gods, and despite the monotheistic slant its really still treated more like a transtheistic blend of multiple gods + pantheism (though even god figures on it tend to act more like saints or angels than gods, reflecting more christianization and incorporation of pagan elements into christianity than the other way around). And of course the fact that many modern paganisms are neutral as to whether the gods tangibly exist or not, saying that their archetypal presence as patterns in reality and ideas provides context for spirituality regardless, and through a pantheistic light obviously resembles heavily how the religions are seen in game. Since of course the gods in-plot are presented in this way where they obviously can be interpreted both literally as well as representations of ideas. And since the games are placed in a future of a world much like ours, we can likewise assume that the prevalence of people praying to many gods who fell off the radar in our own world is them going back to them when they were previously lost religious orientations. So there are a lot of parralels. Though note that eastern religions are generally not called paganism. And most of the in game religions tend to revolve more around monotheism and eastern religions and their philosophy, even if in a post christian or post buddhist / etc mindset. So the in game religions do not that highly resemble neopaganism. Though perhaps gaianism does moreso than others. Having an appearance that looks (sometimes, though not always) western, and at times very pagan, and often most explicitly calling to mind past pre christian beliefs and complaining about christian demonization. Nonetheless, there are some strong parallels, and aradia even shows up in nocturne, as a named character. Being herself a neopagan exclusive concept, this obviously is meant to include that into the overall worldview in some sense. Another important aspect that often shows up in modern paganism is that of placing humans within the spiritual hierarchy to some degree rather than outside of it looking in. Although this was not present in all historical polytheisms, as well as not present in all forms of modern paganism, this idea in a sense revolves around a reaction to christian ideas which they consider self depreciating, making all spirituality necessarily oriented to god, as if humans' own inner natures were not meaningfully included. Some modern paganisms include humans, and their inner spirituality as relevant within the overall pantheistic system just as the gods are. This obviously has relevance for megaten as well, both for pantheistic reasons as well as the humanist or transtheist slants of some aspects, but more explicitly due to the fact that even the tangible sentient gods are obviously symbiotically related to humans, making humans themselves central to the spiritual nature of their reality. Note that since modern paganisms can be oriented to many pantheons, or even eclectic, we won't bother giving a ton of detail about the aspects that align with specific pagan religions here. We'll just give a simple overview of the elements that are common to many neopaganisms. One more note is that though the ancient philosophy schools generally contained members who believed in the polytheistic gods, people who practice modern variants of ancient philosophies such as stoicism and epicureanism are not labeled under the label of modern paganism. This being the case generally even if they still believe in gods. Paganism being a label for the main focus on the ancient religions themselves. Neopaganisms generally do not reference the philosophy schools heavily, though occasionally they borrow some concepts from them. These two trends being considered for the most part distinct. Recurring themes Eclecticism vs Reconstructionism Eclecticism vs Reconstructionism. Another division within modern Paganism rests on differing attitudes to the source material surrounding pre-Christian belief systems. Pagan groups can be "divided along a continuum: at one end are those that aim to reconstruct the ancient religious traditions of a particular ethnic group or a linguistic or geographic area to the highest degree possible; at the other end are those that freely blend traditions of different areas, peoples, and time periods." Strmiska argued that these two poles could be termed reconstructionism and eclecticism, respectively. Reconstructionists do not altogether reject innovation in their interpretation and adaptation of the source material, however they do believe that the source material conveys greater authenticity and thus should be emphasized. Strmiska nevertheless noted that this reconstructionist-eclectic division was "neither as absolute nor as straightforward as it might appear". Since some reconstructionists have to account for how the religion would have transformed over time. Although inspired by the pre-Christian belief systems of the past, modern Paganism is not the same phenomenon as these lost traditions and in many respects differs from them considerably. Strmiska stressed that modern Paganism was a "new", "modern" religious movement, even if some of its "content" derived from ancient sources. Contemporary Paganism as practiced in the United States in the 1990s has been described as "a synthesis of historical inspiration and present-day creativity". Eclectic Paganism takes an undogmatic religious stance, and therefore potentially see no one as having authority to deem a source apocryphal. Contemporary paganism has therefore been prone to fakelore (inauthentic, manufactured folklore presented as if it were genuinely traditional.), especially in recent years as information and misinformation alike have been spread on the Internet and in print media. A number of Wiccan, pagan and even some Traditionalist or Tribalist groups have a history of Grandmother Stories – typically involving initiation by a Grandmother, Grandfather, or other elderly relative who is said to have instructed them in the secret, millennia-old traditions of their ancestors. As this secret wisdom can almost always be traced to recent sources, tellers of these stories have often later admitted they made them up. Many of course fall in the middle, due to the fact that even if one tries to reconstruct the religion itself in a literal form, certain aspects such as the moral frameworks of people of earlier times will be seen as outdated, and so they will need to adapt to modern collections. Obviously megaten's religions lean more towards eclecticism, since different aspects of many religions show up on the sides, due to globalization. Though there are certain exceptions, such as in strange journey's chaos end, it seems like to some degree they are trying to turn back the clock to try to recreate almost entirely an earlier time. Though even then there may still be some eclecticism due to the gods having all spread out. On the reconstructionist side can be placed those movements which often favour the designation "Native Faith", including Romuva, Heathenry, '''and '''Hellenism. On the eclectic side has been placed Wicca, Thelema, Adonism, Druidry, the Goddess Movement, Discordianism, '''and Christopaganism'. Strmiska also suggested that this division could be seen as being often based on "discourses of identity", with reconstructionists emphasizing a deep-rooted sense of place and people whereas eclectics embrace a universality and openness toward humanity and the Earth. Note that thelema is often associated with neo paganism, despite also being considered a form of satanism. This being because certain satanisms do consider themselves a form of paganism in the sense of depicting their demons as originally positive figures who became demonized by christianity. Though certain attributes and specific tones are required for something to also be considered a form of satanism, and most neopagans reject any satanic association. Polytheism '''Polytheism'. One principle of the Pagan movement is polytheism, the belief in and veneration of multiple gods and/or goddesses. Within the Pagan movement, there can be found many deities, both male and female, who have various associations and embody forces of nature, aspects of culture, and facets of human psychology. These deities are typically depicted in human form, and are viewed as having human faults. They are therefore not seen as perfect, but rather are venerated as being wise and / or powerful. Pagans feel that this understanding of the gods reflected the dynamics of life on Earth, allowing for the expression of humor. Obviously this reflects the ambiguity in megaten over the fact that none of the entities on the sides are seen as totally perfect beings, even if some reflect an orientation one considered better than that humans have on earth. One view in the Pagan community is that these polytheistic deities are not viewed as literal entities, but as Jungian archetypes or other psychological constructs that exist in the human psyche. Others obviously see them as entirely literal. And a third group balances this, and has the belief that the deities have both a psychological and external existence. This can be made sense of in the sense of seeing them as archetypes, but seeing real beings as capable of corresponding to the archetypal forms to varying degrees, some embodying them fully. Which obviously this ambiguity and overlapping heavily represents how they appear in megaten. Obviously some neopagan groups simply have no official stance, allowing people to be any of the three options. Many Pagans believe adoption of a polytheistic world-view would be beneficial for western society – replacing the dominant monotheism they see as innately repressive, due to implying only a single ideal, and by extension little room for discussion. In fact, many American neopagans first came to their adopted faiths because it allowed a greater freedom, diversity, and tolerance of worship among the community. This pluralistic perspective has helped the varied factions of modern Paganism exist in relative harmony. Most Pagans adopt an ethos of "unity in diversity" regarding their religious beliefs. There are of course still strife between them of course, such as for example in cases where some use neopaganism to represent racist ideals, and others heavily disagree with this usage. There are exceptions to polytheism in Paganism, as seen for instance in the form of Ukrainian Paganism promoted by Lev Sylenko, which is devoted to a monotheistic veneration of the god Dazhbog. Note that in megaten, some gods who were considered closer to monotheism end up considered heavily related to the law side, such as amaterasu. Note, duotheism is a concept that sometimes shows up also in some forms of neopaganism, saying that all gods derive from a primal god and goddess. Though many historical paganisms had goddesses, many still associated weakness with femininity. But a common trend in neopaganism is to try to reverse this attitude. Note obviously that in game in a vague sense that yhvh and mem aleph are kind of treated as a primal god and goddess. Despite obviously not being on the same side. Animism and Pantheism Animism and Pantheism A key part of most Pagan worldviews is the holistic concept of a universe that is interconnected. This is connected with a belief in either pantheism or panentheism. In both beliefs divinity and the material and/or spiritual universe are interrelated, or that the universe is itself part of the larger divinity or identical with it. For many pagans, pantheism means that "divinity is inseparable from nature and that deity is immanent in nature". Interestingly, the inclusion of this comes in part form influence from monotheistic philosophy trying to make sense of divinity as unified. So whereas classical paganisms often just held gods as totally distinct entities, many modern pagans use the pantheism to relate them to a place in part of the larger whole, even if the whole is not embodied by any one god. Pagan religions commonly exhibit a metaphysical concept of an underlying order that pervades the universe, such as the concept of harmonia embraced by Hellenists and that of Wyrd found in Heathenry. Another pivotal belief in the contemporary Pagan movement is that of animism. This has been interpreted in two distinct ways among the Pagan community. First, it can refer to a belief that everything in the universe is imbued with a life force or spiritual energy. In contrast, some contemporary Pagans believe that there are specific spirits that inhabit various features in the natural world, and that these can be actively communicated with. Some Pagans have reported experiencing communication with spirits dwelling in rocks, plants, trees and animals, as well as power animals or animal spirits who can act as spiritual helpers or guides. Animism was also a concept common to many pre-Christian European religions, and in adopting it, contemporary Pagans are attempting to "reenter the primeval worldview" and participate in a view of cosmology "that is not possible for most Westerners after childhood". Such views have also led many pagans to revere the planet Earth as Mother Earth, who is often referred to as Gaia after the ancient Greek goddess of the Earth. And they often have an environmentalist slant because of this. Obviously note that the explicit use of the term gaia resembles the gaians. Practices Ritual. Pagan ritual can take place in both a public and private setting. Contemporary Pagan ritual is typically geared towards "facilitating altered states of awareness or shifting mind-sets". In order to induce such altered states of consciousness, pagans utilize such elements as drumming, visualization, chanting, singing, dancing, and meditation. American folklorist Sabina Magliocco came to the conclusion, based upon her ethnographic fieldwork in California that certain Pagan beliefs often "arise from what they experience during religious ecstasy". Note that in megaten, while there are public churches, people are occasionally also seen doing private rituals in smaller areas, either by themselves or in small groups. Sociologist Margot Adler highlighted how several Pagan groups, like the Reformed Druids of North America and the Erisian movement incorporate a great deal of play in their rituals rather than having them be completely serious and somber. She noted that there are those who would argue that "the Pagan community is one of the only spiritual communities that is exploring humor, joy, abandonment, even silliness and outrageousness as valid parts of spiritual experience". Domestic worship typically takes place in the home and is carried out by either an individual or family group. It typically involves offerings – including bread, cake, flowers, fruit, milk, beer, or wine – being given to images of deities, often accompanied with prayers and songs and the lighting of candles and incense. Common Pagan devotional practices have thus been compared to similar practices in Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity, but contrasted with that in Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam. Although animal sacrifice was a common part of pre-Christian ritual in Europe, it is rarely practiced in contemporary Paganism. (Note that in megaten, blood sacrifices do actually show up in plots, and sacrifices of life either willingly or unwillingly are seen as something that gives actual power). Festival. Paganism's public rituals are generally calendrical, although the pre-Christian festivals that Pagans use as a basis varied across Europe. Nevertheless, common to almost all Pagan religions is an emphasis on an agricultural cycle and respect for the dead. Common Pagan festivals include those marking the summer solstice and winter solstice as well as the start of spring and the harvest. In Wicca, a Wheel of the Year has been developed which typically involves eight seasonal festivals. Magic and Witchcraft. The belief in magical rituals and spells is held by a "significant number" of contemporary Pagans. Among those who believe in magic, there are a variety of different views as to what magic is. Many Neopagans adhere to the definition provided by Aleister Crowley, founder of Thelema, who defined magicksic as "the Science and Art of causing change to occur in conformity with Will". Also accepted by many is the related definition purported by ceremonial magician Dion Fortune, who declared "magic is the art and science of changing consciousness according to the Will". Among those who practice magic are Wiccans, those who identify as Neopagan Witches, and practitioners of some forms of revivalist Neo-druidism, the rituals of whom are at least partially based upon those of ceremonial magic and freemasonry. Some obviously believe in magic merely as an archetypal practice, but others see it as generating tangible effects. Not all Neopagans consider witchcraft an acceptable part of spiritual or even magical practice. Some ethnic traditions that can be considered Neopagan embrace the use of charms, healing and other metaphysical practices that benefit their communities, but reject the term witchcraft as they adhere to the traditional view in their cultures that witchcraft describes only harmful magic performed for selfish ends. These variations in nomenclature are one of many ways that traditional and reconstructionist traditions differ from the more Wicca-based Neopagan communities. Racism? For some modern pagan groups, ethnicity is central to their religion, and they often restrict membership to those who are of the same ethnic group as themselves. This obviously being based on the fact that for religions which did not profess to be universal and spread themselves, the gods as they saw them were obviously only shared by specific people. And while they might accept that other people followed the same gods, under different forms they might consider their specific religious orientation to be about an inner community relation. Critics of this position have described this exclusionary approach as a form of racism. And this approach has led modern paganism to be heavily affiliated with certain neo nazi groups in certain areas, who consider their gods embodiments of their own culture, and so their cultural religion an embodiment of internal strength and unity. Note of course that by no means is racism a heavy element of all neopaganisms. Many actively fighting against it heavily. Different modern pagan religions Due to the large amount of groups, we will only focus on a few of the more common ones. Heathenism, also known as Germanic Neopaganism, refers to a series of contemporary Pagan traditions that are based upon the historical religions, culture and literature of Germanic-speaking Europe. Heathenry is spread out across north-western Europe, and also North America and Australasia, where the descendants of historic Germanic-speaking people now live. Many Heathen groups adopt variants of Norse mythology as a basis to their beliefs, conceiving of the Earth as being situated on a great world tree called Yggdrasil. Heathens believe in multiple polytheistic deities, all adopted from historical Germanic mythologies. The majority of Heathens are polytheistic realists, believing that the deities are real entities, while others view them as Jungian archetypes. While a number of groups venerating Scandinavian deities use the term **Ásatrú** or **Forn Sed**, those adopting folkish perspectives tend to favor the terms **Odinism** or **Wotanism**. In Anglophone countries, Heathen groups are typically called kindreds or hearths, or alternately sometimes as fellowships, tribes, or garths. altars(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Nordiska_gudabilder_vid_julgille.jpg) are often small personal places. Heathens commonly adopt a cosmology based in Norse mythology in which our world – known as Midgard – is one of nine realms, all of which are part of a cosmological world tree called Yggdrasil. Different types of being are believed to inhabit these different realms; for instance, humans live on Midgard, while dwarves live on another realm, elves on another, giants on another, and the divinities live on two further realms. Most practitioners believe that this is a poetic or symbolic description of the cosmos, with the different realms representing higher realms beyond the material plane of existence. The World Tree is also interpreted by some in the community as an icon for ecological and social engagement. Some Heathens, such as the psychologist Brian Bates, have adopted an approach to this cosmology rooted in analytical psychology, thereby interpreting the nine worlds and their inhabitants as maps of the human mind. In Heathenry, moral and ethical views are based on the perceived ethics of Iron Age and Early Medieval North-West Europe,in particular the actions of heroic figures who appear in Old Norse sagas. Evoking a life-affirming ethos, Heathen ethics focus on the ideals of honor, courage, integrity, hospitality, hard work, and strongly emphasize loyalty to family. It is common for practitioners to be expected to keep their word, particularly sworn oaths. There is thus a strong individualist ethos focused around personal responsibility, and a common motto within the Heathen community is that "We are our deeds". In North America and elsewhere, some Heathen communities have formalized such values into an ethical code, the Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), which is based largely on the Hávamál from the Poetic Edda. There are different forms of the NNV, with the number nine having symbolic associations in Norse mythology.There is a divided opinion on the NNV; some practitioners deem them too dogmatic, while others eschew them for not having authentic roots in historical Germanic culture, negatively viewing them as an attempt to imitate the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments. The NNV are not universal among Heathens, and it has for instance been noted that they are rare among Swedish practitioners. Due to its focus on family ties and honest living – values perceived as socially conservative in Western nations – it has been noted that American Heathenry's ethical system is far closer to traditionalist Christian morals than the ethical systems espoused in many other Western Pagan religions such as Wicca. Within the Heathen community of the United States, gender roles are based upon perceived ideals and norms found in Early Medieval Northwestern Europe, in particular as they are presented in Old Norse sources. Among male American Heathens there is a trend toward hypermasculanized behavior, while a gendered division of labor – in which men are viewed as providers and women seen as being responsible for home and children – is also widespread among Heathens in the U.S. Sociologist Jennifer Snook noted that as with all religions, Heathenry was "intimately connected" to politics, with practitioners' political and religious beliefs influencing one another. As a result of the religion's emphasis on honoring the land and its wights, many Heathens take an interest in ecological issues, with many considering their faith to be a nature religion. The most important religious rite for Heathens is called blót, which constitutes a ritual in which offerings are provided to the gods. Blót typically takes place outdoors, and usually consists of an offering of mead, which is contained within a bowl. The gods are invoked and requests expressed for their aid, as the priest uses a sprig or branch of an evergreen tree to sprinkle mead onto both statues of the deities and the assembled participants. This procedure might be scripted or largely improvised. Finally, the bowl of mead is poured onto a fire, or onto the earth, as a final libation to the gods. Sometimes, a communal meal is held afterward; in some groups this is incorporated as part of the ritual itself. In other instances, the blót is simpler and less ritualized; in this case, it can involve a practitioner setting some food aside, sometimes without words, for either gods or wights. Some Heathens perform such rituals on a daily basis, although for others it is a more occasional performance.Aside from honoring deities, communal blóts also serve as a form of group bonding. Neo-Druidism forms the second largest pagan religion after Wicca, and like Wicca in turn shows significant heterogeneity.It draws several beliefs and inspirations from the Druids, the priest caste of the ancient pagan Celts. With the first Druid Order founded as early as 1717, the history of Neo-Druidism reaches back to the earliest origins of modern paganism. The Ancient Order of Druids founded in 1781 had many aspects of freemasonry, and have practiced rituals at Stonehenge since 1905. The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids was established in 1964 by Ross Nichols. In the United States, the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA) was founded in 1912, the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) was established in 1963 and Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) in 1983 by Isaac Bonewits. Hellenism, the Hellenic ethnic religion, also commonly known as Hellenismos, Hellenic Polytheism, Dodekatheism, or Olympianism, refers to various religious movements that revive or reconstruct ancient Greek religious practices, publicly, emerging since the 1990s. The Hellenic religion is a traditional religion and way of life, revolving around the Greek Gods, primarily focused on the Twelve Olympians, and embracing ancient Hellenic values and virtues. Hellenic polytheists worship the ancient Greek Gods, including the Olympians, nature divinities, underworld deities (chthonic gods) and heroes. Both physical and spiritual ancestors are honored. It is primarily a devotional or votive religion, based on the exchange of gifts (offerings) for the gods' blessings. The ethical convictions of modern Hellenic polytheists are often inspired by ancient Greek virtues such as reciprocity, hospitality, self-control and moderation. The Delphic maxims, Tenets of Solon, the Golden Verses of Pythagoras, or even Aristotle's Ethics each function as complete moral codes that a Hellenic Polytheist may observe. Key to most ethical systems is the idea of kharis (or "charis", grace), to establish reciprocity between humanity and the gods, between individuals, and among community members. Another key value in Hellenic Polytheism is eusebeia, often translated as piety. This implies a commitment to the worship of the Hellenic gods and action to back this up. There is no central "ecclesia" (church/assembly) or hierarchical clergy, though some groups (i.e., Hellenion) do offer training in that capacity. Individual worshipers are generally expected to perform their own rituals and learn about the religion and the gods by reference to primary and secondary sources on ancient Greek religion and through personal experience of the gods. Information gained from such personal experiences is often referred to in Hellenic groups as "UPG" (Unverified Personal Gnosis), a term borrowed from Ásatrú, though now commonly used among many pagan religions. Wicca, also termed Pagan Witchcraft, is a contemporary Pagan new religious movement. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual practice. Wicca has no central authority. Its traditional core beliefs, principles and practices were originally outlined in the 1940s and 1950s by Gardner and Doreen Valiente, both in published books as well as in secret written and oral teachings passed along to their initiates. There are many variations on the core structure, and the religion grows and evolves over time. It is divided into a number of diverse lineages, sects and denominations, referred to as traditions, each with its own organizational structure and level of centralisation. Due to its decentralized nature, there is some disagreement over what actually constitutes Wicca. Some traditions, collectively referred to as British Traditional Wicca, strictly follow the initiatory lineage of Gardner and consider the term Wicca to apply only to similar traditions, but not to newer, eclectic traditions. Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping a Goddess and a God. These are traditionally viewed as the Moon Goddess and the Horned God, respectively. Sometimes the horned god is explicitly identified as cerrnunos, who is a name given to the horned god of ancient celtic polytheism, and who they believe Christians mistook as the devil. These deities may be regarded in a henotheistic way, as having many different divine aspects which can in turn be identified with many diverse pagan deities from different historical pantheons. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as the "Great Goddess" and the "Great Horned God", with the adjective "great" connoting a deity that contains many other deities within their own nature. These two deities are sometimes viewed as facets of a greater pantheistic divinity, which is regarded as an impersonal force or process rather than a personal deity. While duotheism or bitheism is traditional in Wicca, broader Wiccan beliefs range from polytheism to pantheism or monism, even to Goddess monotheism. Wiccan celebrations encompass both the cycles of the Moon, known as Esbats and commonly associated with the Goddess, and the cycles of the Sun, seasonally based festivals known as Sabbats and commonly associated with the Horned God. An unattributed statement known as the Wiccan Rede is a popular expression of Wiccan morality, although it is not accepted by all Wiccans. Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, though it is not always necessary. The Wiccan Rede is a statement that provides the key moral system in the Neopagan religion of Wicca and certain other related Witchcraft-based faiths. A common form of the Rede is “An it harm none, do what ye will.” Meaning that all morality has to be derived from what can harm others. This statement is of course highly ambiguous, and as such as been placed under much scrutiny in terms of meaning. Note that it resembles the main principle of thelema which places only doing what one wills as the law. Being based on it, but shifting it to include moral statements against harming. This inspiration is deliberate, due to the interaction of the founder with crowley in general. Another common element of Wiccan morality is the Law of Threefold Return which holds that whatever benevolent or malevolent actions a person performs will return to that person with triple force, or with equal force on each of the three levels of body, mind and spirit, similar to the idea of karma. Many Wiccans also seek to cultivate a set of eight virtues mentioned in Doreen Valiente's Charge of the Goddess, these being mirth, reverence, honour, humility, strength, beauty, power, and compassion. In Valiente's poem, they are ordered in pairs of complementary opposites, reflecting a dualism that is common throughout Wiccan philosophy. Some lineaged Wiccans also observe a set of Wiccan Laws, commonly called the Craft Laws or Ardanes, 30 of which exist in the Gardnerian tradition and 161 of which are in the Alexandrian tradition. Valiente, one of Gardner's original High Priestesses, argued that the first thirty of these rules were most likely invented by Gerald Gardner himself in mock-archaic language as the by-product of inner conflict within his Bricket Wood coven others were later additions made by Alex Sanders during the 1960s. Although Gerald Gardner initially demonstrated an aversion to homosexuality, claiming that it brought down "the curse of the goddess",it is now generally accepted in all traditions of Wicca, with certain groups like the Minoan Brotherhood openly crafting their philosophy around it. Theological views within Wicca are diverse, and the religion encompasses theists, atheists, and agnostics, with some viewing the religion's deities as entities with a literal existence and others viewing them as Jungian archetypes or symbols. Even among theistic Wiccans, there are divergent beliefs, and Wicca includes pantheists, monotheists, duotheists, and polytheists. Common to these divergent perspectives, however, is that Wicca's deities are viewed as forms of ancient, pre-Christian divinities by its practitioners. Despite the metaphorical application of this, wicca is a modern religion and its ties to the past are considered tenuous. Most early Wiccan groups adhered to a duotheistic system focused around a Horned God of fertility and a Mother Goddess, with practitioners typically believing that these had been the ancient deities worshipped by the hunter-gatherers of the Old Stone Age, whose veneration had been passed down in secret right to the present. Modern wiccans have however mostly accepted that this is a pseudo history rather than a real one. This theology derived from Margaret Murray's claims about the witch-cult; she claimed that whereas the cult as recorded in the Early Modern witch trials had venerated a Horned God, centuries before it had also worshipped a Mother Goddess. Since the horned god she refers to is actually projections of Christians into insistence that there was satan worshipers in their midst, this has led many to associate wicca with satanism. Even though it swears off these associations, claiming that the persecuted witches were a pagan religion falsely accused of stanism. (note no evidence of hidden pagan religions being common as the ones who were persecuted as witches actually exists). Likewise, wicca also claims association with witches, and claims the terms for itself for this reason, assuming that it was a pagan religion. Gardner claimed that the names of these deities were to be kept secret within the tradition, although in 1964 they were publicly revealed to be Cernunnos and Aradia; the secret Gardnerian deity names were subsequently changed. Note that aradia is the goddess in nocturne that comes to live within yuko. Obviously the explicit inclusion of a neopagan exclusive concept is meant to include neopaganism in the overall dynamics of the megaten world. Although different Wiccans attribute different traits to the Horned God, he is most often associated with animals and the natural world, but also with the afterlife, and he is furthermore often viewed as an ideal role model for men. The Mother Goddess has been associated with life, fertility, and the springtime, and has been described as an ideal role model for women. Wicca's duotheism has been compared to the Taoist system of yin and yang. As such they are often interpreted as being "embodiments of a life-force manifest in nature". Despite this association, more modern wiccans have warned against seeing this in a gender essentialist light. Gardner stated that beyond Wicca's two deities was the "Supreme Deity" or "Prime Mover", an entity that was too complex for humans to understand. This belief has been endorsed by other prominent practitioners, who have referred to it as "the Cosmic Logos", "Supreme Cosmic Power", or "Godhead". Gardner envisioned this Supreme Deity as a deist entity who had created the "Under-Gods", among them the God and Goddess, but who was not otherwise involved in the world; alternately, other Wiccans have interpreted such an entity as a pantheistic being, of whom the God and Goddess are facets. Obviously note the similarity between this supertranscendent unknown being and the great will. Despite this, gardner criticized monotheism, and in practice this higher force was not the focus of worship. Belief in the afterlife varies among Wiccans, and does not occupy a central place within the religion.As the historian Ronald Hutton remarked, "the instinctual position of most Wiccans... seems to be that if one makes the most of the present life, in all respects, then the next life is more or less certainly going to benefit from the process, and so one may as well concentrate on the present". Although there are practitioners who do not believe in any form of afterlife, it is nevertheless a common belief among Wiccans that human beings have a spirit or soul that survives bodily death. Understandings of what this soul constitutes vary among different traditions, with Feri Wicca for instance having adopted a belief from Hawaiian religion that the human being has three souls. Although not accepted by all Wiccans, a belief in reincarnation is the dominant afterlife belief within Wicca, having been originally espoused by Gardner. Understandings of how the cycle of reincarnation operates differ among practitioners; the prominent Wiccan Raymond Buckland for instance insisted that the souls of humans would only ever incarnate into human bodies, whereas other Wiccans believe that the soul of a human can incarnate into any other life form. There is also a common Wiccan belief that any Witches will come to be reincarnated as future Witches, an idea originally expressed by Gardner. Gardner also articulated the view that the human soul rested for a period between bodily death and its incarnation, with this resting place commonly being referred to as The Summerland among the Wiccan community. This allows many Wiccans to believe that mediums are able to contact the spirits of the deceased, a belief that it adopted from Spiritualism. Many Wiccans believe in magic, a manipulative force exercised through the practice of witchcraft or sorcery. Many Wiccans agree with the definition of magic offered by ceremonial magicians, such as Aleister Crowley, who declared that magic was "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will", while another prominent ceremonial magician, MacGregor Mathers stated that it was "the science of the control of the secret forces of nature". Many Wiccans believe magic to be a law of nature, as yet misunderstood or disregarded by contemporary science, and as such they do not view it as being supernatural, but a part of what Leo Martello calls the "super powers that reside in the natural". Some Wiccans believe that magic is simply making full use of the five senses in order to achieve surprising results, whilst other Wiccans do not claim to know how magic works, merely believing that it does because they have observed it to be so. Some spell it "magick", a variation coined by the influential occultist Aleister Crowley, though this spelling is more commonly associated with Crowley's religion of Thelema than with Wicca. Many traditions hold a belief in the five classical elements, although they are seen as symbolic as representations of the phases of matter. These five elements are invoked during many magical rituals, notably when consecrating a magic circle. The five elements are air, fire, water, earth, and aether (or spirit). Aether unites the other four. Various analogies have been devised to explain the concept of the five elements; for instance, the Wiccan Ann-Marie Gallagher used that of a tree, which is composed of earth (with the soil and plant matter), water (sap and moisture), fire (through photosynthesis) and air (the creation of oxygen from carbon dioxide), all of which are believed to be united through spirit. Lineaged Wicca is organised into covens of initiated priests and priestesses. Covens are autonomous, and are generally headed by a High Priest and a High Priestess working in partnership, being a couple who have each been through their first, second and third degrees of initiation. Occasionally the leaders of a coven are only second-degree initiates, in which case they come under the rule of the parent coven. Initiation and training of new priesthood is most often performed within a coven environment, but this is not a necessity, and a few initiated Wiccans are unaffiliated with any coven. Thelema shows up on its own section in the satanism page. It is associated more with satanism than neopaganism, though some overlap the ideas. The Goddess movement includes spiritual beliefs or practices (chiefly neo-pagan) which has emerged predominantly in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s. The movement grew as a reaction to perceptions of predominant organized religion as male-dominated, and makes use of goddess worship and a focus on gender and femininity. This is of course a concept compatible with many forms of paganism, and exists as a movement to shift them in a sense. Adonism is a Neopagan religion founded in 1925 by the German esotericist Franz Sättler (1884-c.1942), who often went by the pseudonym of Dr. Musalam. Although Sättler claimed that it was the continuation of an ancient pagan religion, it has been recognised by academics as being "instead the single-handed creation of a highly gifted and educated man", this figure being Sättler himself. Adonism is a polytheistic religion, revolving around a belief that there are five principal gods: Belus, Biltis, Adonis, Dido and Molchos. Adonis is the most prominent of these in the group's theology, being a benevolent figure that Sättler equated with the Christian figure of Satan. In contrast to Adonis, Molchos is believed by Adonists to be malevolent, and to be responsible for the enslavement of humanity through monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam: the religion therefore has "a pronounced anti-Christian bias". Obviously note the trend that often shows up in megaten of gods saying that yahweh is merely an arrogant god trying to enslave all others. Discordianism is a religion and subsequent philosophy based on the veneration or worship of Eris, a.k.a. Discordia, the Goddess of chaos, or archetypes or ideals associated with her. It was founded after the 1963 publication of its holy book, the Principia Discordia, written by Greg Hill with Kerry Wendell Thornley, the two working under the pseudonyms Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst. The religion has been likened to Zen based on similarities with absurdist interpretations of the Rinzai school, as well as Taoist philosophy. Discordianism is centered on the idea that both order and disorder are illusions imposed on the universe by the human nervous system, and that neither of these illusions of apparent order and disorder is any more accurate or objectively true than the other. There is some division as to whether it should be regarded as a parody religion, and if so, to what degree. This being because it has a heavily parody based tone, but on the same front presents this as a reflection of an actual deeper truth. Namely that reality being incomprehensible, its ordered beliefs likewise are without meaning. Different people treat it more or less serious. Relationship with new age. An issue of academic debate has been regarding the connection between the New Age movement and contemporary Paganism, or Neo-Paganism. Religious studies scholar Sarah Pike asserted that that there was a "significant overlap" between the two religious movements,while Aidan A. Kelly stated that Paganism "parallels the New Age movement in some ways, differs sharply from it in others, and overlaps it in some minor ways". Ethan Doyle White stated that while the Pagan and New Age movements "do share commonalities and overlap", they were nevertheless "largely distinct phenomena."Hanegraaff suggested that whereas various forms of contemporary Paganism were not part of the New Age movement – particularly those who pre-dated the movement – other Pagan religions and practices could be identified as New Age.Various differences between the two movements have been highlighted; the New Age movement focuses on an improved future, whereas the focus of Paganism is on the pre-Christian past. Similarly, the New Age movement typically propounds a universalist message which sees all religions as fundamentally the same, whereas Paganism stresses the difference between monotheistic religions and those embracing a polytheistic or animistic theology. Further, the New Age movement shows little interest in magic and witchcraft, which are conversely core interests of many Pagan religions, such as Wicca. Many Pagans have sought to distance themselves from the New Age movement, even using "New Age" as an insult within their community, while conversely many involved in the New Age have expressed criticism of Paganism for emphasizing the material world over the spiritual. Many Pagans have expressed criticism of the high fees charged by New Age teachers, something not typically present in the Pagan movement. Gaianism (also referred to as Gaian Religion, with an offshoot termed "New Age Gaian") is an earth-centered philosophical, holistic, and spiritual viewpoint that shares expressions with various religions such as Earth religions and Paganism while not identifying exclusively with any specific one. The term describes a philosophy and ethical worldview which, though not necessarily religious, implies a transpersonal devotion to earth as a superorganism. Practitioners of Gaianism are called Gaians. Marcel Wissenburg has described Gaianism as a "modern variant of philosophical determinism". This general trend shows up in many neopaganisms. Practitioners of Gaianism are termed "Gaians", or sometimes Gaianists. Obviously note that the term gaianism from megaten is taken from here directly. Christopaganism. Christianity and Neopaganism overlap when the beliefs or practices of one religious path influence, or are adopted by, the other. Historically, Christianity sometimes took advantage of traditional pagan beliefs when it spread to new areas – a process known as inculturation. Thus newly established churches took on sites, practices or images belonging to indigenous belief systems as a way of making the new faith more acceptable. More recently, in a parallel process, some followers of modern pagan paths have developed practices such as Christopaganism by blending Christian elements into Neopagan practice. As a symbol they sometimes used a cross inscribed in an upwards facing pentagram. Which note in megaten is used as a summoning symbol. (Though not a religious symbol of any particular group). The term Christopaganism generally refers to adding christianity to paganism rather than the other way around, however. In the modern era, examples of syncretism may include Christians seeking to incorporate concepts of the Divine Feminine from Neopaganism into Christianity or Neopagans seeking to incorporate figures such as Jesus or Mary into neopagan worship, as polytheistic gods. Joyce and River Higginbotham define Christopaganism as: "A spirituality that combines beliefs and practices of Christianity with beliefs and practices of Paganism, or that observes them in parallel.” They give examples of people identifying as Pagan but observing both Pagan and Christian liturgical years, using the Rosary or observing a form of Communion. It is sometimes called A philosophy that transcends both Monotheism and Polytheism and represents the glue that holds the two in balance. The source in which Neoplatonism, for example, found fertile ground and which represents the Transcendent One. Often holding that there are many gods, but that Christ reflected a deeper universal unity behind reality, though not particularly monotheism per say. Christian Wicca is a term coined in reference to Trinitarian Wicca, established in 1999. Since then, Christian Wicca has become the umbrella term for a variety of magickal Christian sects that began evolving in the Christopagan movement. Trinitarian Wicca is based on the merging of Alexandrian and Dianic traditions, forming their pantheon from the Kabballah, Gnosticism, and Ancient Christianity. They have a devout reclaiming approach to a Goddess-inclusive Trinity, best described as Tritheist or Social Trinitarians. The term Christian merely reflects the pantheon best associated with the Trinitarian tradition, comparable to the term Celtic among Celtic Wiccan traditions. Despite the initial confusion, Trinitarian Wiccans consider themselves Wiccans not Christians, as their views of Christology was deemed heresy by the Catholic Church in the 3rd century CE. Trinitarian Wicca is not a blended path; they are a MesoPagan polytheistic reconstructionist tradition. Obviously combinations of Christianity and polytheistic religions in a sense shows in up in game with the messian religion. Though one should take care not to draw too strong a parallel. Most christopagans are mainly incorporating a few christian elements into a more pagan style religion, whereas the structure of the messians is presented as more similar to christianity, albeit now existing in a post christian form. And the gods that show up on their side are sometimes referred to as angels. And the syncretism is often more with other eastern religions that are not usually referred to as paganism than they are with random polytheisms, even if they do encorporate their gods. The most noteworthy explicitly christopagan element is danu in IV and IVA. In IV she becomes black maria, and in iva uses christian symbols, like the shamrock and cross to imply still incorporating some of that into her paradigm. Making this a mostly neutral type idea. Another thing one can relate to christopaganism might be mastema showing up working for the neutral side in IV (though note that the neutral side is more eastern, and paganism tends to refer mainly to old western religions). Despite still using some monotheistic terminology. And perhaps some of the ways that people would treat their religious orientation in a neutral world in general. Though that being said, the religions in game tend to still resemble more developed existing ones, even though having gone beyond them. Whereas paganism tends to refer primarily to more smaller scale western polytheisms that had previously died out. Philosophical polytheistic arguments. While monotheism has had many philosophical arguments made for it at times, polytheism tends to not have had as many. Mainly since back when it was big it was taken as a given and so such was not considered very necessary to support philosophically. Another reason is because its gods are merely another type of entity, rather than a being one can necessarily logically prove in many cases. So direct philosophical arguments for it are rather rare. And work for such concepts is more often subsumed under different kinds of theology. However, philosopher edward butler did make a case for literal polytheism rather recently. The case itself is rather long, and not easy to describe. It tends to blend neoplatonic arguments with ideas of platonism in general, the types of argument used for monotheism, and an argument that the abstract henads one might argue for are fundamentally distinct platonic underpinnings of reality that function similar to how monotheists see god, but it implies that distinct properties would be divided, and as such with there being many different aspects that in a sense are different timeless gods. Perhaps infinitely many. And so individual polytheisms are each true in a sense, since while the stories are not literal, they touch on true real underpinnings of the world that exist, and tell timeless truths about the relation of these forces. In some sense this relates to megaten a bit in that the gods are considered manifestations of specific patterns among infinite possibilities. Ones that in a sense truly exist, but specific ones are picked out by people even though those are not the only possible ones. The parralel is not infinitely close though. Since richard carrier implies that these things already existed, in eternal unchanging form, whereas in megaten an important aspect is that what they are and do changes among the field of possibility due to human thoughts. So while the general idea seen in a platonic light might make sense to make sense of these patterns existing, there is a bit of a disconnect. Megaten also leans towards the process philosophical idea of entities needing to exist in time and process. And so rejects the idea of eternal essences being the entities themselves rather than just an underpinning reality they derive from.